Critic Reviews

Legend of Wrestling is a great throwback to the golden age of wrestling. All of your (my) favorite wrestlers from the ninteen-eighties are here with few exceptions. The game controls great and is full of brilliant bravado. The interactive entrances are a great touch and help to add character to this title. There is a great base here and this fall's sequel should be even better.

Legends of Wrestling is far from a technical achievement graphically – and I don’t think it was really meant to be either. Where it achieves is the ISP system, the deep career mode, and the pure fun and replay value this game carries with it. Having plenty of things to unlock also helps out and increases the desire to open everything up (which you can do with a cheat code, but then you suck if you do that). If you’re looking for an alternative to the WWF glitz games and just want a plain old wrestling game that’s a lot of fun or reminiscent of the old “pick up and play” Acclaim wrestlers of the 16-bit era and prior, this one's worth a shot.

Legends of Wrestling is sprinkled with many problems. Shoddy collision detection, unresponsive controls, and slowdown are just some of the issues. There are, however, some positives that help to overshadow the various evils. An awesome roster of classic wrestlers, respectable graphics, and a fantastic approach to combos and reversals make Legends a decent contender in a genre dominated by WWE heavyweights. If you're a serious wrestling fanatic, this is a must-have game.

This isn’t a whole lot different to the PS2 version. There aren’t all that many game modes, so don’t expect tables, ladders, cage matches or battle royals (although they have been announced for the sequel - which is nice). The grappling system is both slick and easy to get your thumbs round, so pulling off counter attacks and reversals is both simple and hugely satisfying. Unfortunately, bog-standard manoeuvres like running, jumping or climbing the ropes can be a very hit and miss affair, making matches very frustrating at the best of times. Likewise, the Create-A-Wrestler isn’t bad, just flawed (a poor selection of outfits is one thing, but only one face?!? And a pretty darned ugly one at that). There’s a lot of potential here, but with control niggles, no commentary and a lacklustre single player, it’s not quite a must-have.

The graphics are fine, and the grunts and groans do well for the vehicle, but this game really can’t compete with other similar programs on different platforms. The return of the legendary stars that gave this sport its high profile is a nice touch. This game is solid, but not the best platform-wrestling program on the market.

Legends of Wrestling is an interesting twist to wrestling games,
it gives wrestling games a whole new aspect on how wrestling games can play,
the only problem is it’s not as fun as we had all hoped! If you’re a serious
wrestling fan then you may want to go rent this one!

Overall, LoW is a decent grappler plagued by some control issues, graphical flaws and dull audio. Fortunately, the novelty effect of owning this title nearly warrants a purchase itself. Fortunately, owning it allows you to play some pretty good game modes and play as all your old heroes, so pick this one up if you want a decent wrestling game on the Xbox.

Overall, gameplay is about fun, and Legends of Wrestling delivers on this count. While it might not be as deep in the moves and modes categories, it's got a good, arcadey, old-school feel. And it's a fun multiplayer game as well, a must for any wrestling title.

Legends is far from being the worst wrestling title ever conceived. In fact, the franchise has potential to take the genre in a refreshing, new direction. In order for this franchise to truly take off, there's definitely a need for elements that enriches the fun factor, lest players will look towards other games such as Wrestlemania X8 or the upcoming Raw is War title in the works. It's unfortunate that a title featuring a well-rounded cast of wrestling "legends", couldn't have offered tighter execution. But with an upcoming sequel on the horizon, Acclaim is stepping back into the ready position, which should garner a substantial niche among the wrestling fanbase.

Legends of Wrestling is undeniably a novel concept but considering that this game came out for the PS2 last year and has thus seen very minimal improvement in its GameCube incarnation, it doesn’t give gamers much reason to give the game a second chance, or a first chance really. All the issues that plagued the PS2 version are back in full force; simplistic, if shoddy animation, inconsistent frame-rates, and lackluster character designs are all present. This isn’t to say that the game is complete crap. Wrestling fans may get a few hours of enjoyment out of it, thanks to its stellar line-up of classic fighters, and the create-a-wrestler option is also fairly fleshed-out. If you’re a hardcore wrestling fanatic and dig the thought of being able to control grapplers of wrestling past than you might want to give this game a look-see, otherwise I’d advise you to steer clear.

Overall, this game certainly has its share of flaws and other shortcomings, I was still able to have fun with it. While it is harder to enjoy the game when you are just playing it by yourself, you will be able to appreciate it better when you have friends to play it with. While you may not appreciate the other things in the game, you'll be able to appreciate that you'll be able to play as numerous Legends of Wrestling.

Legends of Wrestling is a welcome change of style for wrestling games. The game may need a few additions/adjustments to achieve classic status but what is here is enjoyable. With Legends of Wrestling 2 in development let's hope that everything is subtitled and the problems we have mentioned are sorted out.

The sport has evolved, but unfortunately, Legends is way behind – not so much in the wrestlers themselves, but in the dumbed-down engine with too few moves, and a lousy create mode. Some great ideas (art style, reversal system), but it still can't hang.

There's a lot to like about LoW, but there's more to dislike. More move variety and an enhanced reversal and combo system would really help the game out, as well as improved frame rates and controls. Acclaim has already announced a sequel, and if everything here is enhanced, it could very well be the undisputed champion of wrestling games. Sadly, LoW is just a flash in the pan.

I won’t lie; I’m a bit disappointed with Legends. I think that Acclaim came up with a great idea to stay in the wrestling business but maybe the final product could’ve been tweaked a bit more. In any event, Acclaim, you keep chugging away on the Cube. We certainly can use all the games we can get.

Legends of Wrestling is a mediocre wrestling game. It's got a great selection of old-school wrestlers to play with and some good design ideas, not to mention a refreshing graphic style, but like so many wrestling games, it's all hopelessly scarred by sloppy execution. Slow, tedious controls hamper the experience greatly, collision detection problems scratch it further, and graphic shortcomings -- from jerky animations to an unpredictable framerate -- ruin it more still.

Legends of Wrestling is definitely a new direction for modern wrestling games. It pits many of the greatest performers in wrestling history against each other as they vie for domination of their regional wrestling federation and compete for world championship gold. Fans of wrestling past and present will be pleased to find such moves as Hulk Hogan's leg drop and big boot, as well as Rob Van Dam's five-star frog splash and Van Daminator. Yet while the idea of playing as these wrestling legends is certainly appealing, Legends of Wrestling sadly doesn't follow through with a game that's as good as its concept.

Controlling the
wrestlers seems a little too sluggish, but don't worry - there are plenty of objects to whack your opponent
with. Before you begin the game you have the option to turn blood effects on or off. We decided to throw
caution to the wind and turn the blood on - and by the end of the fight Hogan was covered in it. If you
find the "legends" of wrestling all a little too old hat, there is the option to create your own fighter. Male
or female, you can dress your wrestler right down to what they're going to wear on their left wrist. Game
modes include Tournament and Career, as well as Exhibition, which allows for versus and tagteam
game play. If TV isn't showing enough wrestling for your liking, invite some friends over for an allin brawl
for four.

The game had all the makings of a great game, yet failed to produce a slam-dunk. They even failed to make a lay-up... Heck, they couldn't have made a foul shot. With so much potential, it is disappointing to see all of that anticipation go to waste. A purchase for anyone is highly unadvisable. Legends of Wrestling would be a decent renter for the weekend, just to button-mash your friends. Other than that, the game is nothing more than a sick attempt to purge the wallets of old school goodness. Shame on you Acclaim!

In summary, this is a very badly executed brawler - it smacks of a game that was designed to be generic and easy to port, as evidenced by it's appearance on all major current platforms. It's no fun, it's ugly as all hell and is not even any good in multiplayer mode. There's no point having the very best character designer in existence if you don't want to go on and use that player you created in the actual game. It might appeal to a select few in the audience but we strongly recommend you rent it first. Don't say we didn't warn you...

The music is comprised of cheap, tinny rock and roll without commentators or voice-overs. Not even the Hulk opens his mouth for this one! Legends of Wrestling just screams rush job/quick cash in. The concept was grand but the execution was anything but. VS mode might afford a couple of ‘80s wrasslin’ buffs a few hours of fun but it’ll never replace any of today’s wrestling titles. It couldn’t even make me stop playing Pro Wrestling.

In the end, Legends of Wrestling turns out to be a pretty stale wrestling game with plenty of key icons missing in the history of wrestling. Acclaim is working fast to release a sequel. Let's hope that they fix the issues that plagued this one. There are far better wrestling games out there, and the only appeal to this game would be to play as a wrestler that isn't available in other games. This trade off isn't worth it and neither is this game.

The game life is limited due to the sound and control issues that plague this great, in theory, title. It does have a good career mode where you have to beat the best to advance. The wrestlers you face are all very good and it is sometimes very tough to beat, especially at title matches. One of the highlights is the real Captain Lou Albano and "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, among others, manage you throughout the whole experience.